Winter
2005: MWF 2:40 – 3:55
Instructor: Dr. Ashley McDowell
Office: 202
Humphrey House
Office
phone: 337-7077
email: mcdowell@kzoo.edu
Office Hours: Mondays and Wednesdays 9 – 10, Tuesdays
and Thursdays 10:30 – 11:30
(unless a change is announced), and by appointment
Coffee hour discussions: Wednesdays after class – 4:00 – 5:00 (these are
informal discussion sessions with me and others in the class, about course
material and related topics)
Note: I will be sending
announcements, handouts, assignments, and so forth to the class listserv. This listserv includes only your K email
address, so make sure email sent there is forwarded to whatever email address
you’re likely to check frequently.
Texts: Christopher
Biffle, A Guided Tour of Five Works by Plato: Third Edition
Robin Waterfield, transl.,
Plato’s “Gorgias”
Robin
Waterfield, transl., Plato’s Republic
Christopher Biffle, A
Guided Tour of Selections from Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics
Julia Annas, ed., Voices
of Ancient Philosophy
Articles
on reserve at the library
(note:
there are also non-Biffle versions of Plato’s Dialogues and the Nicomachean
Ethics available at the bookstore in case you want to have cleaner versions
in addition.)
In
this class, we will study some of the thoughts of ancient Western
philosophers. In particular, we’ll be
focusing our attention on some central writings concerning the self,
meaning, and morality. Ancient
philosophers thought deeply about topics such as what it means to be a good or
virtuous person, how we might be happy, and how we might lead meaningful
lives. All of these concerns are
important to us as well, of course, and there is much that we can learn from
grappling with these arguments and theories.
This class is a history of philosophy course, rather
than a history course. That means that
we will be studying the ideas, arguments, and theories put forth by ancient
philosophers, rather than biographical, cultural, anthropological, or historical
issues about them or their time period.
We will largely be trying to understand what these thinkers were trying
to say, and why they thought what they did.
In addition, we will be discussing the merits of the various positions
and reasons offered. What philosophers
are interested in is the truth, or at least greater understanding, and
that is what we will be pursuing in this class.
Our methodology will be to study the works of the
greatest of the ancients – Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle – in the most
depth. We will work through several
dialogues and works carefully and thoroughly, giving you the experience of
really working hard on individual thinkers.
We will read Plato/Socrates’s Euthyphro, Apology, Crito, Gorgias,
and parts of The Republic, as well as selections from Aristotle’s Nicomachean
Ethics.
We will also spend some time focusing on topics
rather than individual philosophers – in particular, we will read various
ancient pieces about 1) praise, blame, and responsibility for our actions
and 2) how one should live.
Readings will come from philosophers such as Epicurus, Cicero,
Herodotus, and Lucretius.
Along the way, you will read some contemporary
nonphilosophical pieces to give perspective and new angles on the ancient texts
on which we’re focusing.
In this class, there will be high expectations in
terms of careful and thorough reading.
You will be assessed on your grasp of the ideas and arguments studied,
as well as on your ability to reflect on those ideas and arguments and
contribute your own reasoned responses.
Grading will be almost entirely on the basis of essays and papers.
This class will consist of a combination of lecture
and discussion. In general, I will
spend time every day taking your questions about the reading and the previous
class’s material, and we will then go over and talk about the current day’s
material. I will sometimes have you
break up into pairs or groups to work on an in-class assignment or discussion. Since philosophical learning is best done in
an environment of discussion, attendance and participation are expected.
You will be responsible for completing the readings
before each class, and being prepared to discuss those readings. You should be aware that some of the
readings in this course will most likely be quite challenging for you. Give yourself plenty of time to do these
readings carefully. Those who want to
truly excel in this class will most likely want to read each assignment at
least twice, and take notes on the readings. You must bring with you to class whatever text(s) we are
working on for that day.
In this class, we will be discussing issues that
most people find important, and on which many people have strong opinions. We will not be merely exchanging opinions,
but will be seeking the truth. In that
spirit, everyone’s contributions will be both respected and open to thoughtful
criticism.
Response
papers: 10%
Every Monday (excluding First
Week), you will write a response paper on an assigned topic related to the
material currently being covered. This
will be a typed, double-spaced short essay, and it should be a page or two in
length (a little over or under is okay).
Response papers will generally involve you thinking about the material
we’ve been discussing or reading in a personal way, either grappling with your
own view on a topic or applying the ideas to things in your own life. These response papers might be shared with
the class, unless you ask me (on the paper) not to do so – you may also ask me
to only share your paper with the class anonymously, if you like.
I will be assigning these papers either ü+, ü, or ü-. These
correspond approximately to grades of A, B, and C, respectively. (Papers straddling the borders between these
grades will have a grade indicating as much, such as “ü+ / ü”.) In extreme cases where the paper does not
approach answering the question asked, one may receive no credit for a reaction
paper turned in (an ×).
The point of the essays is to integrate your
academic learning of the material into your personal life and thinking, and to
have the experience of constructing statements of your own reactions to the
topics studied. They are meant to help
you see the material as relevant to your life, and to see yourself as able to
take a place in the ongoing debate about philosophical issues. I will grade these on the basis of how well
I see you trying to do those things, not on the basis of your ability to
regurgitate facts from the readings, or parrot back to me thoughts I or the
philosophers studied have expressed.
Long
papers: 25% each
You will be writing three relatively long (about
8-page) papers for this course. The
first two will be on topics of your choice (in consultation with me) relating
to the readings by Socrates/Plato and by Aristotle. They will be due a week or so after we finish the material on
each philosopher.
Your final paper will incorporate the readings from
Plato and from Aristotle as well as the material covered at the very end of the
class, from Voices of Ancient Philosophy, and will be due during exam
week.
These papers will be assessed on the strength of
your understanding of the philosophers, your exegesis of their positions, and
your insights on the works studied. You
will be expected to present arguments cleanly, clearly, and with reasons
designed to convince any rational person.
Assignment
responsibilities:
I will be able to look at rough
drafts, either turned in or during office hours; I will let you know details as
the time gets nearer. I also encourage
you to run rough drafts by each other or your peers at the Writing Center. Whether I look at them or not, rough
drafts and outlines of each of your long papers will be due along with the
final drafts.
All assignments must be turned in as hard (paper)
copies – no emailed assignments will be accepted except by special
permission. It is your responsibility
to retain copies of all assignments you turn in, in a reliable format. An assignment that is between one hour
and 24 hours late will receive a ½ grade reduction. An assignment that is between one day and two weeks late will
receive a full grade reduction.
Assignments will not be accepted more than two weeks late.
You will be permitted one “freebie”: an assignment turned in as
much as two days late, no questions asked, as long as you let me know you’re
taking your freebie. Be mindful not to
use it lightly.
The formal requirements for all assignments will be
announced in detail well ahead of time in class, and most likely on the website
and through the email listserv.
A note on changing grades: if you feel you have been
assigned a grade unfairly or inaccurately, you should by all means talk to me
about it. My only requirement is that
you prepare an argument (a set of reasons and facts) before you do so.
A note on reading: don’t succumb to the misconception that in
order to read something you only have to move your eyes over the lines, or
“read it out loud in your head,” so to speak.
What I expect is that you will read the material in a more sophisticated
way, thinking as you go. You should be
asking yourself the main points, making sure you understand the structure of
the reading, thinking about how this reading relates to others you’ve done, and
otherwise working to comprehend the material, not just to complete a
technical “reading” of it. You might
try highlighting, underlining, making marginal notes, or outlining – whatever
helps you focus and understand.
Participation,
class conduct, and other assignments: 15%
Participation is expected. In a philosophy class of this kind, discussion is absolutely
essential, and may be the way you learn most about the material. I know that participation is difficult for
some people, but you can consider this a safe place to practice contributing to
a group discussion, which you will surely need to do throughout your life. I will require and ensure that conversation
in class, although probably critical of ideas, will not be critical of people.
I will keep general track of your contributions in
class. Keep in mind that contributions
can take various forms, including asking for clarification, participation in
group work, and giving helpful examples.
Keep in mind also that more does not necessarily mean better: those who
excessively dominate discussions, speak disrespectfully, or otherwise use their
voices in a negative way may be penalized for doing so. If you are in doubt, ask me.
Your
conduct in this class includes improvement and effort. It also includes issues of respectful
behavior, such as tardiness, distracting behavior, or disrespectful behavior
towards members of the class. We will
go over this in class.
I will occasionally give you
in-class or perhaps out-of-class assignments in addition to your papers and
response papers. I may have you turn in
some of the exercises from the “Guided Tour” books, for example; or answer a
short question in class to help me gauge the level of understanding in the
class. These assignments will be
included in this portion of the grade.
Attendance:
Attendance is expected: three or more unexcused
absences will result in a full grade reduction for the course. Absences will only be excused for required
sports activities or practices or for a dire personal circumstance.
Grading
scheme:
Reaction
papers (average of all): 10%
Long
Papers, at 25% each: 75%
Participation,
class conduct, and assignments: 15%
Academic integrity and the Honor System
“It
is always important to think of the intellectual world as a community of mutual
dependence, mutual helpfulness, mutual protectiveness, and common delight. We take ideas from others and we give them
to others. We are indebted to others,
and others are indebted to us. In
sharing and acknowledging the community, we define ourselves more certainly as
individuals. The ability to describe
our sources is also an ability to define our own originality and our own
selves. All communities depend on
generosity, trust, definition, and the proper use of sources is part of the
mortar that holds the community of the mind together.”
-
Richard
Marius, Expository Writing Program, Harvard University
In this class, as in all classes at Kalamazoo
College, we will be operating under the Honor System. It is important that you familiarize yourself with that
system. You should also familiarize
yourself with proper procedures for collaborating, doing research, and citing
sources. I expect each of you to visit
my webpage and read the essay there called “Plagiarism and How to Avoid It”
(http://kzoo.edu/~mcdowell/Academic_integrity_and_plagiarism.htm). Should you
have any questions about citations, plagiarism, or honor system issues, please
visit or contact me.
Any assignment you turn in that I find to violate
academic integrity, either through dishonesty, plagiarism, lack of appropriate
citations, or unauthorized collaboration, will receive a grade of 0. Any further instance of a violation of
academic integrity will be punished by a failing grade in the class as a minimum
sanction.[1]
If you have any special needs that I can
accommodate, please let me know as soon as possible.
This schedule is
tentative. Any changes will be
announced in class and by email. The
reading assignments listed for each day must be completed before that
class. All readings are found in your
textbooks or are on reserve at the library.
M 1/3 Introduction to Class and Ancient Philosophy
W 1/5 Plato: Euthyphro (Biffle)
F 1/7 Jean Bethke Elshtain, “Judge Not?” (on reserve at the library)
M 1/10 Plato: Apology (Biffle)
W 1/12 Plato: Crito (Biffle)
F
1/14 MLK
teach-in: How our thinking leads to evil; can we dream to overcome?
Denise Cummins, “Minds in Groups: How Others Influence Our Behavior” and
Stanley Milgram, “An Experiment in Autonomy” and
John
Jay Chapman, “Coatesville” (all on reserve at the library)
M 1/17 MARTIN
LUTHER KING, JR. HOLIDAY: NO CLASS
W 1/19 Gorgias and Irwin, pages TBA
F 1/21 Gorgias and Irwin contd.; pages TBA
M 1/24 Irwin Ch. 8
W 1/26 The
Republic Book 2
F 1/28 The
Republic Book 6
M 1/31 The
Republic Book 9; look also at the margin exercises in Ch. 5, “Allegory of
the Cave,” in Biffle
W 2/2 Selections from The Republic Book 12: 588b – end; and
Richard Wright, “The Ethics of Living Jim Crow” (online: http://xroads.virginia.edu/~MA01/White/anthology/wright.html)
F 2/4 “Plato’s Forms: For and Against” from Voices of Ancient Philosophy (pages 234 – 259)
M 2/7 Nicomachean Ethics, Biffle’s Introduction and
Viktor Frankl, selections from Man’s
Search for Meaning (on reserve in library)
W 2/9 Nicomachean Ethics, Book I (Biffle)
F 2/11 Nicomachean Ethics, Book II (Biffle)
M 2/14 Confucius, from Analects and
St. Mathew, “Jesus’ Sermon on the
Mount” (both on reserve in library)
W 2/16 Nicomachean Ethics, Book III (Biffle)
F 2/18 Nicomachean Ethics, Books IV – VI (Biffle)
M 2/21 Nicomachean Ethics, Books VII – IX (Biffle) and
Philip Hallie, “Goodness Personified
in Le Chambon” (on reserve in library)
W 2/23 Nicomachean Ethics, Book X (Biffle)
F 2/25 Nozick, “The Experience Machine,”
Voltaire, “The Good Brahmin,” and
Siddhartha Gautama,
the Buddha, “The Four Noble Truths” (all on reserve in library)
M 2/28 “Fate and Freedom” – introduction
and Section A (Voices of Ancient Philosophy)
W 3/2 “Fate and Freedom” – Section B (Voices of Ancient Philosophy)
F 3/4 “Fate and Freedom” – Sections C and D (Voices of Ancient Philosophy)
M 3/7 “How Should You Live?” – Sections A and B (Voices of Ancient Philosophy)
W 3/9 “How Should You Live?” – Section C (Voices of Ancient Philosophy)
F 3/11 “How Should You Live?” – Section D (Voices of Ancient Philosophy)